When Fourth Master and his entourage arrived in Hangzhou, they did not stay in any of the mansions of high-ranking officials. On the contrary, it was as if everyone had received a unified order, and Fourth Master and his group seemed to have been forgotten. They had been in Hangzhou for several days, but no one had taken the initiative to get close to them.
When they arrived at the Hangzhou post station that day, the staff there practically wanted to kick them out as swindlers. If Fourth Master hadn't produced something to prove his identity, they probably wouldn't have even been able to stay at the post station.
Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master already had some minor injuries, and the two days of traveling through the mountains aggravated their wounds. After arriving at the inn and being subjected to that ordeal, our Comrade Fourth Master fell ill.
On the very night the Fourth Prince checked into the inn, he developed a high fever. The Thirteenth Prince stormed downstairs to Yi Chen's room and dragged him out of his warm bed, where Yi Chen was having a sweet dream.
When Yi Chen learned that the Fourth Prince had a fever, he could only grimace as he went to fetch a doctor that very night. However, he couldn't disturb the better government doctors in the middle of the night, so he simply asked a local doctor who treated ordinary people to examine the Fourth Prince.
At that moment, Thirteen was so angry he wanted to hit someone, but Yichen said aggrievedly, "It's understandable that the local officials weren't prepared for your sudden arrival. It's the middle of the night now, and it's impossible to fetch a renowned doctor from Hangzhou Prefecture."
Fortunately, this quack doctor was somewhat skilled. After taking the Fourth Prince's pulse, he said the fever was due to an infected wound and prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine. However, he didn't recognize that this man was the Fourth Prince, and that the person standing beside him was the Thirteenth Prince. So, he said somewhat casually, "Remove his clothes, I'll clean him up again and re-bandage him."
Because it was late at night, the doctor didn't really want to come, but he couldn't resist Yi Chen's orders, so he reluctantly came.
Turn your back. I'll order the servants to change Fourth Brother's clothes first before I call you over to clean him up. "Thirteenth Master knows that Fourth Master is always very concerned about his image, how could he undress in front of a quack doctor?"
After taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor, the Fourth Prince's fever gradually subsided. Su Peisheng, who was by his side, breathed a long sigh of relief. He had been terrified on the way here, having been attacked and suffering from a high fever. As a prince, no one flattered him. In addition, they had thrown away all their clothes and luggage, leaving them without even a change of clothes.
Fortunately, he still had some money, and Su Peisheng planned to go to the street to buy it as soon as it was light. Sigh, he had thought that once he arrived in Hangzhou, he wouldn't have to worry about these things at all.
The next day, at daybreak, the Thirteenth Prince arrived. Su Peisheng told him he was going to buy some clothes and other necessities for the Fourth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince naturally let him go.
Fourth Master woke up, feeling somewhat weak. Li Wei had the innkeeper cook some white porridge for him. Su Peisheng had gone out, so he had no choice but to take on these tasks; otherwise, he could have asked Thirteenth Master to do them.
"What's going on? Are these people not taking us seriously?" Thirteenth Master stood at the window of the room, hands on his hips, and said angrily.
Fourth Master leaned against the pillows, being fed porridge by Li Wei.
"Fourth Brother, isn't the Prefect of Hangzhou Jian Lingfeng? Doesn't he know we've arrived in Hangzhou?" Thirteen said angrily. He wasn't angry about being slighted, but about his fourth brother, the dignified Fourth Prince, who was sick and staying in such a dilapidated inn.
"They've never had any dealings with us, so why should they come to curry favor? Do you think everyone is Cao Yin?" Fourth Master said calmly, without showing any displeasure on his face.
"But Fourth Brother, their indifference is really going too far. We are, after all, imperial envoys, representing Father Emperor. They have committed a grave offense of disrespect. I will impeach them when we get back," Thirteen said, still dissatisfied.
"Alright, today you just need to go and deliver the repayment lists to those who owe the court money. Once we've collected all the money from Hangzhou Prefecture, we can head back to the capital." The money Fourth Master collected along the way was transported directly back to the capital through official money shops. Their operation amounted to about a third of the national treasury's harvest. Emperor Kangxi's repeated letters of commendation were naturally to praise their efficient work.
"Okay, I'll go right away. Fourth Brother, you rest well. Su Peisheng went to buy some clean clothes. Li Wei, you stay here and take good care of Fourth Brother." Thirteen
Seeing that the Fourth Master was not displeased, he could no longer be angry and immediately carried out the work as the Fourth Master had arranged.
Meanwhile, in Yangzhou Prefecture, the men sent by Fan Zhongqi were searching for the missing people with the portraits left behind by the Fourth Prince. Because they were military personnel and carried Fan Zhongqi's written order, the local government had no jurisdiction over them.
"My lord, those people are wandering around the city every day, asking about missing persons. If this continues, I'm really afraid they'll find out something." Fang Xiaojun, the garrison commander of Yangzhou, was sitting in the living room of Zhang Shoucheng's residence, discussing this with him.
“Let them investigate. Those people are no longer in Yangzhou. Even if they search the entire city, they won’t find them.” Zhang Shoucheng picked up his blue-and-white porcelain teacup and took a sip of tea.
"Everyone says the Fourth Prince is difficult to deal with, and judging from this, he really is a tough one to get along with. It's much easier to talk to the person behind us. If it weren't for him lending us money, where would we get so much to pay back?" Fang Xiaojun sighed.
“Anyway, they’re all part of their family. We’re just taking in with one hand and leaving with the other,” Zhang Shoucheng said.
"My lord, is there truly no news of Ding Die'er at all?" Fang Xiaojun asked. If it weren't for this inconspicuous girl, how could she have attracted the attention of the Fourth Prince? They truly wished they could capture her immediately and tear her to pieces. Anyone who threatened their interests was someone they wanted to eliminate as quickly as possible.
"No, she vanished into thin air. The people who came to rescue her that night were all said to be incredibly skilled; even the constables couldn't get close. It seems they were probably working for this Fourth Prince." Zhang Shoucheng's expression darkened considerably at this point. Ding Die'er was the key to this matter. Although she was an insignificant girl, she knew the questions they were asking her. They should have killed her then and there, but a moment's hesitation led to her becoming a ticking time bomb hanging over their heads.
"Sigh, I just hope they can't find anything, then Ding Die'er won't be a threat. Otherwise, it'll be really troublesome. Should we send a message to the higher-ups about this?" Fang Xiaojun is a very irresponsible person; whenever something goes wrong, he wants someone else to clean up his mess.
"It's such a trivial matter, let's not worry about him. Ding Die'er doesn't know anything, and besides, I haven't even shown my face. Who would believe what a young girl says!" Zhang Shoucheng comforted himself.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince, who was lying in bed at the same time, was also pondering this matter. In fact, he was no longer seriously ill, but he didn't use him. Instead, he let the Thirteenth Prince handle the matter. The Fourth Prince needed to be given some experience and couldn't always stand behind him.
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